Aircraft seats, particularly in private and executive jets but also in commercial jets, commonly are rotatable to a plurality of angular positions to provide additional comfort for a passenger. Existing swivel assemblies typically utilize an angular thrust roller bearing to support the seat and to provide for rotational movement, and include a multi-point brake that allows a seat to be repositioned and fixed in a discrete number of predetermined positions. As a result of the limited angular position capabilities of such a seat, a passenger may not be able to achieve optimal comfort because an angular position between two of the predetermined positions is unavailable.
Additionally, the tolerances required in angular thrust bearing seat swivels necessitates additional manufacturing operations to control the play in the seat assembly, particularly along the vertical axis. Additional thrust bearings are sometimes added in attempt to address this problem, with the concomitant disadvantage of additional weight and cost.
Aircraft seats are required to comply with applicable Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations. In particular, a seat swivel is required under 14 C.F.R. §25 (more specifically subsection 25.562) to be able to withstand a dynamic impact loading of up to 16 g, as defined in the pertinent regulations. Therefore, any design for an improved seat swivel with brake that provides for infinite position adjustment would have to meet those, and any other, applicable FAA requirements.